It had been a Wedding
by Nightengale
Summary: The wedding of Bill and Fluer is attacked after the fall of the Ministry, Arthur Weasley must protect his family as the war is brought right to his home *Deathly Hallows spoilers obviously*


The wedding had been wonderful. All those preparations, finding a band, picking the colors, invitations, everything paid off. Molly cried through half the service but Arthur hadn't been surprised about that. It was her first son leaving her for another woman, so to speak. Bill had looked so very grand, scars and all. Now, everyone was mingling and enjoying the night. It was a breath of fresh air into those fearful days. Arthur could not help but beam endlessly. His son was married now, all his family around; it made life just then seem so perfect, so happy that Arthur almost forgot they were in a war.

Arthur stood beside Tonks, glass of wine in his hand.

"I did not cry."

"I saw a tear, Arthur," Tonks was teasing him. "It's your first son, of course daddy's gonna cry a little. Mine did, I saw the tears."

Across the floor Arthur could see Harry in disguise talking to his aunt. He suppressed a chuckle at what she would think if she knew just who she was talking too. She probably would have used that as a conversation opener will all the old ladies down in Daigon Alley for weeks. He turned back to Tonks and cleared his throat.

"I am quite sure I did not cry."

She grinned widely, nudging him with her elbow. "Maybe you just don't want to admit it? Is that it?"

"Well, I don't..."

But Arthur stopped speaking as a streak of sliver came down onto the dance floor. Apprehension seized in his chest and he moved forward, placing his glass on a table and pushing one woman aside so he could see as it landed.

"_The Ministry has fallen."_

Arthur snapped to attention at the sound of Kingsley's voice, pulling his wand from his robes.

"_Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."_

Arthur froze. They were coming to his home, to his family.

Then a woman screamed and everyone began to move, running away, trying to apparate. Suddenly Arthur could feel the protective charms surrounding the burrow and the wedding party dissolve. Dark figures began to appear among the crowd. His arm snapped up.

"Protego!" he shouted, hearing Tonk's voice behind him shouting the same.

Beams of light shot from a half a dozen wands among the crowd. Arthur saw Remus across the floor holding his wand aloft. Arthur knew one of the casters had to be Molly but he couldn't see her. Where were all of his children? A crystal clear white shell started to form above them in the sky. He could see the Death Eaters clearly around them now among the crowd. Arthur had to concentrate, concentrate as people ran by and not break focus. Protective charms had to be cast with a certain force of will and focus. They only needed a few more seconds.

Just then a flash of red shot at the forming shell, making a crack. It could not break! They had to keep going until the magic completely settled.

"Shit..." he heard Tonk's mutter.

There were still people shouting and running. A curse shot past Arthur and he heard an answering cry of pain. He could feel the prickle of dark magic getting closer.

"Stop them!" Someone from above shouted.

Suddenly there was a scream and Arthur saw one of the casters fall. He fearfully thought of Molly and his arm shook.

"No!" He heard Remus shout and the shell splintered.

The force knocked Arthur back and he fell to the ground, twisting his ankle painfully. Jumping to his feet instantly, ignoring the pain, Arthur looked around wildly. There were so many running people and Death Eaters among them now. There were Death Eaters at his home, at his son's wedding party!

"Find Potter!" Arthur heard shouted from somewhere to his left and he suddenly wondered just where Harry was.

Arthur heard a yelp and a whimper to his right. Turning he saw a Death Eater pointing his wand at a woman huddled on the floor. Arthur quickly aimed his wand and hit the Death Eater with a blinding curse that knocked the masked figure down, feeling about for his wand. Turning back behind him, Arthur ran, ankle aching, to where Tonks had been standing. He could see her hair had turned a violent shade of red in obvious rage.

"Tonks!" He shouted.

As Arthur got closer her wand came flying up in her hand and she cast a blasting spell just over his shoulder from where she crouched on the ground. Arthur turned quickly to see a masked Death Eater fall down. Getting to her feet she barely glanced at Arthur, shouting as she ran.

"We can cast the charm again, Arthur! Remus and I will hold them off if you can get the others! Do it again!"

Panic for his children filled Arthur. He didn't know where any of them were but he knew the best way to protect them all was to get those protective charms up before the Death Eaters could completely take over.

"Dad!"

Arthur whirled around to see Charlie running toward him. Behind him Arthur saw Remus and Tonks brandishing their wands at a group of Death Eaters, hexes and curses flying from both sides. They had less than a minute.

"Charlie!" Arthur grabbed his arm once he was close enough. "You have to help me now. Where are your brothers?"

"Bill is there," he pointed to the groom across the dance floor holding tightly to Fluer's hand and continued, "and I don't know where anyone else is. Dad, the protective-"

"I know!" Arthur shouted, his voice harsh. "We have to do this now." Arthur raised his wand again, catching Bill's eye and counting on the other order members to see him and join.

"Protego!" Arthur shouted in time with Charlie and Bill, wands straight up into the sky.

Strong white light shot above them. Around him Arthur heard other shouted charms joining in with theirs. He heard a scream and the crash of wood but would not drop his focus. He just kept thinking of his children, of Molly; he had to focus and not break.

Suddenly it felt as though a wind rushed through him and the light disappeared. He heard yells of anger and surprise as Death Eaters were yanked away and out of the space, rejected by the protective magic. The charm completed and held in place. Charlie shook beside him from the exertion then, coming back to himself, ran over to Bill and Fluer. Her face was white and a few tears were leaking from her eyes. Arthur could understand. It had been her wedding party which suddenly became this mess of disaster.

Looking around Arthur saw Fred and George running up to him, Ginny was close behind. She had a small gash on her face but looked otherwise unharmed. Once they reached him Arthur motioned them all to follow him away from the wreckage that was the dance floor of the party.

"Where is your mother?" Arthur asked.

"In the house," Ginny said, panting slightly. "She's helping some people through the floo quickly before the Death Eaters or the Ministry can put a track on it or seal it off."

"Where is Ron?" Arthur asked glancing around.

Most of the guests were gone now, all having run or apparated when they had the chance. Tables and chairs lay on the ground, many in pieces. The tent was still standing but Arthur could see a few holes where Death Eater curses had blasted through. However, he didn't see Ron or Hermione or Harry. He didn't think the Death Eaters had taken anyone but there was no way to be sure.

"They got away," Fred said interrupting Arthur's thoughts.

"We saw all three of them apparate as soon as the protective charms first fell," George finished.

"I don't think any of the Death Eaters saw," Fred added.

"But dad," George said, "They are still out there. I saw them at the edge. Is the spell going to hold?"

Arthur looked quickly at George but did not answer.

"They're going to be watching us," Charlie said coming up along side them now with Bill and Fluer in his wake.

"Of course," Arthur growled, suddenly angry and fierce. "Those bastards are going to put all sorts of tracking and surveillance spells around us now."

Arthur was furious at the thought of his home no longer being the safe haven it had been; furious at the Death Eaters for invading his home, ruining this happy day, bringing their evil and destruction so close to his family!

"What about Ron?" Bill said. "He's out there somewhere!"

"And 'ermione and 'arry?" Fluer added, sniffling sharply.

Thinking quickly Arthur pulled out his wand and thought hard of the day that Bill was born, feeling his first child in his arms and how beautiful Molly had looked.

"Expecto Patronum!" he said.

A wisp of sliver spiraled out of Arthur's wand and formed on the ground in front of him. The weasel turned around once and looked right at him. Arthur put his wand to his head and thought, _Family safe, do not reply, we are being watched._

"To Ron!" He said and the Weasel sped away with a streak of silver.

Arthur looked back at his children. All of them were staring at him with imploring expressions on their faces. They'd all heard the message from Kingsley too. The Ministry had fallen. The worst was coming, closing in and had come to their home. To them the war was more real now than it had ever been before.

He opened his mouth to say something that would sooth them when suddenly it seemed as though the ground shook. Arthur looked up at the sky and saw a quiver in the air. The protective charms weren't going to hold. He saw his children all looking up too. Bill suddenly grasped Fluer's hand and Charlie grasped his other. The Death Eaters were going to get in.

"Dad?" Ginny said.

He looked at her, trying to smile; then there was an awful sound like shattering glass and Arthur felt the magic give way. Before he could even raise his wand again the Death Eaters were back. A thought flashed through his mind with terror and anger, not my children! Then it was all a blur. Wands came up, voices shouted, his wand flew away from his hand.

"You bastards!" He heard George yell.

"Crucio!" A woman's voice cried.

"Stop it!" Ginny shouted.

They were all running, trying to get away and help each other at the same time. In the distance he saw Death Eaters breaking in the back door of his house. He heard the high pitched scream of his wife.

"Molly!" Arthur shouted and tired to run to the house but before he could a curse hit him in the back, knocking him down and the world disappeared.

When Arthur opened his eyes again he was sitting in a chair in his kitchen. Blinking away the blur Arthur tried to focus on who was in front of him. Vision clearing Arthur saw the white mask of a Death Eater before him, wand held pointing at his forehead. Arthur's right hand clenched but he did not have his wand. Looking around he saw Remus, Tonks, and Molly all sitting in chairs as well. They were being interrogated by the Death Eaters.

"You will tell us," one Death Eater was saying to Remus, wand at the man's throat.

"I have nothing to say to you!" Remus bit back.

The Death Eater hit Remus with a curse and Remus groaned with a clear flash of pain.

Near Remus, Tonks sat with her arms crossed, silent as the Death Eater standing above her kept shouting over and over. Arthur could see her eyes kept flicking over to Remus though her face appeared completely impassive. Arthur turned his head slightly to look to his right at Molly across the room. They locked eyes and he tired to tell her without saying it that everything would be all right. They had lived through the first war and there was no way Arthur was going to let them die in this one. She just smiled at him and nodded.

"Mr. Weasley," Arthur looked up and now saw someone he recognized in front of him.

The Death Eater which had been standing there before he was walking away into the den. Arthur caught a glance of Charlie sitting on the couch with the end of someone's wand pointed at him. Turning back to the man speaking now, Arthur realized he had seen this man at the Ministry before though he could not place his name. The Death Eaters and the Ministry working together. It made Arthur want to throw up.

"Mr. Weasley, we have come here to ask you one thing," He started but Arthur interrupted him.

"Ask me one thing? Ask me one thing! You come in with force and Death Eaters and break up my son's wedding and that is what you say to me!"

The man drew his wand and pointed it a centimeter away from Arthur's face.

"Watch your tongue, Mr. Weasley. I am asking the questions so I suggest if you have nothing to say in answer to them that you keep quiet."

"Leave my husband alone!" Molly snapped from the other side of the room.

The Death Eater in front of her shoved her over in her chair. Arthur jumped to his feet but was practically thrown back down into his chair by two Death Eaters.

"You hurt her and I swear-"

"Shut your mouth, you blood traitor!" One of his restrainers barked.

"Blood traitor?" Arthur scoffed. "You vile, cruel-"

"Enough!" The ministry man flashed his wand at Arthur, gluing his mouth shut with a sudden hex.

Clenching his fists Arthur could do nothing in retaliation. He grit his teeth glancing quickly at Remus and Tonks. Tonks gave him a quick wink while Remus was too busy glaring daggers at the Death Eater in front of him. Turning back to the man before him Arthur did the same, a number of insults dying to spring forth from him.

"Are you quite finished?"

He waved his wand once and the spell lifted, freeing Arthur's mouth.

Breathing slowly, Arthur could hear people upstairs now. There was a crash and some curses. He could tell they were looking through all the rooms of his house. No doubt everything would be torn apart. Arthur was struck for a moment at the irony that the one time the Burrow was so very clean for a happy occasion was the time when it would be searched and ransacked. He had the very strong urge to attack someone.

"We want to know the location of one Harry James Potter," the man said drawing back Arthur's attention.

Arthur stared back at him stonily thinking up the various ways in which he would like to alternately punch or hex the man.

"And," the man added. "One of you will tell us, no matter how long it takes."

"Oh, I highly doubt that," Arthur said.


End file.
